One of the best things about working with a custom home builder like Stone Creek Custom Homes is that you get to choose everything yourself (with our help of course!), from design to ceilings, floors, appliances, on down to the colors in each room.

Most tract home builders simply splash a shade of white on the walls and call it good, but we think your wall colors should be given much more attention than that. Sure, they exist primarily in the background, but you’d be surprised how much the colors in your kitchen, bedroom, living room and even bathroom influence your mood and behavior.

The Psychology of Color

Color has meaning to each of us – as individuals, cultures and species. Marketing companies use the psychology of color to influence us through advertising, and you can bet if it didn’t work, they wouldn’t bother. Still, many people overlook the significance of color in the space where they spend a majority of their time – in their own homes.

Here’s a breakdown of what different colors mean to us psychologically and where you might consider using them in your house:

White:  Neutrality, cleanliness, purity and safety. White can certainly work nicely in both bathrooms and kitchens, particularly with an accent wall of a brighter color.

Gray:  Solid, practical, timeless. Silver is an off-shoot of gray and represents a strong character. Gray can be used in an office space nicely or a masculine bedroom.

Red:  Energy, excitement, attention-getting. In homes, red is not a good color for an entire wall, but can be used in small doses – a splash of color. Interestingly, pink is the most calming color and therefore is great for children’s rooms.

Blue:  Calm, dependable, wisdom, loyalty. A majority of people claim blue to be their favorite color, which makes sense since much of our world is blue. Blue is actually ideal for a bedroom because it encourages restfulness. Some studies are showing that it’s also a great color for a work-out room as it helps you focus.

Green:  Growth, nature, money, good luck and generosity. A dark forest green is related to wealth and masculinity. Depending on the shade, green can be beautiful in a living room or even an office space.

Yellow:  Cheerful, happiness, optimism. Babies cry more in yellow rooms so it’s not a good idea for them. However, it does have the power to speed up metabolism, so it can be perfect for a kitchen.

Orange:  Warmth, Energy, Fun.  If used tastefully, orange can be a great color for a game or play room, or potentially even used as an accent color in the dining room.

Purple:  Wealth, prosperity, mystery, sophistication. Purple is not a color often used traditionally in the home, however, there are now some beautiful shades of purple that can really be used to enhance any room in your house. Remember, that purple is the color of Kings and Queens!

In a future blog, we’ll explore more tips for picking out specific paint colors, but for now, hopefully this will spark some interest and discussion. When you’re ready to put that paint on the wall, call us at 210-494-5400.